


to go with the latte in your picture

by beesandlebrunes



Series: Zero Mile Coffee Joint [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Baristas, M/M, Making Out, Mild Blood, Pining, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 23:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21418288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beesandlebrunes/pseuds/beesandlebrunes
Summary: Renjun finally emerged from the back room, and Jeno’s jaw dropped. Jaemin had mentioned that Renjun was small and cute, but nothing could have prepared him for the beautiful, nymph-like boy before him. He had soft, delicate features, inquisitive eyes and pouty lips, and a head of shiny, dark brown hair with a few tufts that curled over his brow bone. He approached where Mark and Jeno stood by the coffee brewers, and Jeno noticed with a tiny gasp that Renjun’s ears were pierced, as the moon-shaped earrings sparkled where they dangled from Renjun’s ears. Jeno desperately wished Renjun weren’t wearing a turtleneck so Jeno could see what he knew would be a beautiful neck.or:Jeno is a newly-unemployed vampire, and Jaemin gets him a job at a café.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno
Series: Zero Mile Coffee Joint [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1544020
Comments: 5
Kudos: 98





	to go with the latte in your picture

**Author's Note:**

> sooo... i wanted to write an nct coffee shop au where they're all baristas, and yami has wanted me to write noren for literally forever, so i started writing this, and then a couple hundred words in i was like. what if jeno was a vampire? and then this happened.
> 
> title from the eng trans for 0 mile!

Despite the fact that he was a vampire, Jeno liked to think of himself as a good person.

Every morning, he fed his cat, went to work if he was scheduled (and if he wasn’t, he went for a run), stopped by the house to feed his cat, swiped into the university dining center for lunch and shoveled spoonfuls of food into tupperware for his roommates, went to his daily 1 p.m. French class fifteen minutes early, chatted with the cute boy who sat next to him until the professor arrived, took notes and _only_ spoke French for the full fifty minutes, went back home, slept until the late evening, helped his roommate cook dinner, asked each of his four roommates how their day went, hung out with his best friend, fed his cat, listened to the lectures for his online classes, did homework, then repeated the cycle when dawn came.

Most college students’ days would go something more like this: sleep in, go to class, nap, go to class, go home, eat ramen, sleep. Repeat until the weekend, then do homework on Sunday night. Jeno saw it in many of his peers, and saw a bit of it in his best friend, Jaemin, who was also one of his roommates. All things considered, Jeno’s parents should be proud that their boy was so well-adjusted to human university life, especially since he’d been homeschooled up until college.

So, when Jeno got fired from his well-paying job at Office Max after an accusation that he’d been abusing his employee discount (there wasn’t even anything worth _buying_ at Office Max, and there were only so many swiveling, cushiony desk chairs one could reasonably own), he wondered what bad deed of his must have incurred this negative karma. Did he forget to feed his cat one morning? Did he inadvertently hurt one of his friends’ feelings without realizing it? Did he accidentally cut someone off on the freeway?

That’s it: Jeno must have gone too far when Jaemin had cut his finger while preparing the carrots for dinner and Jeno insisted on licking it clean.

Finding himself jobless and without the means to cover the following month’s rent, Jeno needed a job, fast. Fortunately, he had a best friend who was always looking out for him.

“Come work with me!” Jaemin said excitedly when Jeno voiced his concerns over a game of Wii tennis. Unfortunately, Jaemin’s stroke went awry in his excitement, and he ended up punching Jeno in the shoulder with the Wii remote. “Shit, sorry.”

Jeno rubbed his sore shoulder and looked at Jaemin warily. “You want me to work with you?”

“Of course, idiot, you’re my best friend!”

“You sure you won’t get sick of me?”

“How could I ever get sick of you, my sweet, darling, baby Jeno-bear—ow!” Jaemin pouted at Jeno and pinched his arm, but bounced back quickly with another wide smile. “It’ll be fun!”

Jeno considered this. He’d never thought about the possibility of working with Jaemin before. He couldn’t see why not. If living together wasn’t enough to make them want to claw each other’s eyes out, then there was no harm in working together, too. Besides, Jaemin usually worked afternoons and nights, while Jeno was only available in the mornings, so chances were they’d only work together on the weekends. Jeno had been to Jaemin’s workplace quite a few times, so he was familiar with the place, and he liked their coffee. And Jaemin _did_ make a lot of money in tips. Coming home with cash after every shift would certainly be nice. It wouldn’t hurt to apply, and if he found a more appealing job, he wasn’t obligated to work there.

Jeno absolutely did _not_ want to go into his interview while Jaemin was on shift, so he made sure to schedule it for a time when he knew Jaemin had class. Though he knew Jeno preferred to do business in the mornings, Jaemin had told Jeno not to schedule the interview earlier than 11:30, because that meant the person interviewing him would be Yuta, who was, in Jaemin’s words, “freaking crazy.” The cafe was only a few minutes from campus, and Jaemin had also told him the interview process was obscenely brief, so Jeno wasn’t too worried about not making it to French class in time. He was, however, worried that his _bloody little problem_ — as Jaemin so kindly put it — would bring him issues.

“Apparently, when Renjun got interviewed, he told Taeil that his weakness was being short,” Jaemin had said. “And, well, he got hired. So don’t sweat it!”

Yeah, great advice.

His watch read 11:42 when he arrived at Zero Mile Coffee Joint for his 12 o’clock interview. He was surprised to count five heads milling around behind the counter, which made it seem a lot more crowded than usual. A few people stood in line in front of the counter, where a skinny, shaggy-haired boy with a wide smile took their orders.

“Hi!” he said when he reached Jeno. Jeno noticed they had no nametags. “What can I get started for ya?”

“I’m here for an interview,” Jeno said.

“Oh, totally! Just a second.” The barista tossed his head back and called out, “Taeil! Fresh blood over here!” Jeno tried not to wince at the unintended, and inaccurate, pun. Back to Jeno, the barista said, “He’ll be just a sec. Do you want anything to drink while you’re waiting? It’s on the house.”

Jeno thought about it. “Yeah, I’ll have an iced latte. Soy, please.”

The barista’s eyes twinkled. “Iced? Isn’t it a little cold for that?”

Jeno shrugged. “Iced always tastes better.”

At that, the barista broke into another wide, mischievous grin. “Good answer, new blood. I’m Yangyang.”

“Jeno.”

“Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Jeno.” Yangyang tossed his head back again, and this time he shouted, “Jaehyun! Make this sexy little man a sexy iced soy latte, with extra love.”

A tall, blond boy with puppy-like features passed behind Yangyang with a crate filled with plastic bags of what Jeno could only guess were espresso beans. “Getting your flirt on with the new guy already?”

“Yeah, and I’m calling dibs, so back off, Jungwoo. Keep your little minx hands to yourself!” Yangyang winked at Jeno. “You can sit wherever you’d like. Jaehyun will bring out your drink.”

“Hey man, I’m not a waiter,” a voice called from behind the bar.

“Shut your mouth, boy!” then, “Please, sit.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jeno said, a little disoriented. He made his way over to the only table left open by the windows and sat.

There were quite a few people in the cafe, but not so many that Jeno had to wade through a maze of cafe-goers to find an empty chair. The most noise actually came from the baristas, who were obviously a chatty group of people. Especially Yangyang. It was a little jarring, to say the least, but they seemed likable enough so far. If Jaemin liked them, then Jeno was sure he would, too.

He tried his hardest not to go on his phone while he waited for Taeil, and busied himself with observing the customers in the cafe. Most were students with their laptops and textbooks strewn across their tables, but there were one or two couples here and there. Usually, when Jeno came, he settled himself in a corner and did his French homework while he waited for Jaemin’s shift to end, and Jaemin would sit with him during his break with two Americanos. Despite the sometimes rowdy baristas, Zero Mile was a nice enough environment to study in. The chairs were comfortable, the tables were big enough to do homework on, and the eclectic artwork on the walls were fun to look at. The music was pretty good, too, though Jeno usually listened to his own music.

An attractive man came by with his latte and a pretty, dimpled smile. Jaehyun, Jeno remembered helpfully. He thanked him, and took a sip. It was delicious.

After about ten more minutes, another man whom he hadn’t seen yet sat down across from him, clipboard in hand. He had an average build, similar to Jeno, with a handsome face and bright red hair that spilled out of a ponytail at the base of his neck. He stretched a hand out across the table. “Hi, Jeno, right? I’m Yuta.”

Jeno shook his hand automatically, and quickly racked his brain as he tried to recall the phone conversation over which he’d set up the interview, and which he’d been certain was with a man called Taeil.

“Taeil’s caught up with something right now, an emergency regarding our gelato supplier, I _told_ him they were idiots.” Yuta muttered the last bit under his breath. “But anyway. I’ll be interviewing you instead. Sorry it’s so hectic right now. It’s currently shift change. Jungwoo, Donghyuck, and _hopefully myself_, will be leaving soon.”

“It’s cool, I understand,” Jeno said, mostly honestly.

“So, you were referred to us by Jaemin?” Yuta flipped through the papers on his clipboard, which a Jeno saw was a printed version of his online application.

“Yeah, he’s my roommate. And friend,” Jeno added.

Yuta looked at him with a stony face. “How much do you have in common with him?”

Jeno blinked. “Uh…” Somehow sensing that Yuta wanted the answer to be in the negatives, Jeno said, “Not at all.”

Which was pretty much true. He and Jaemin liked (Wii) sports, and boys. That was it.

“Great,” Yuta said in a cheerful tone, though his expression didn’t quite align with his voice. “Well, considering your availability is pretty much the _opposite_ of Jaemin’s, barring weekends, it’s obvious you aren’t applying just to work with your friend.”

“I would actually prefer _not_ to work with Jaemin as much as possible.”

Yuta mumbled something that Jeno thought sounded like _That makes two of us_, but he couldn’t be sure, because suddenly, a familiar voice was calling Yuta’s name. Jeno went pale.

_Lee Donghyuck_.

The sandy-haired, doe-eyed, honey-voiced boy from Jeno’s French class. In short, the love of Jeno’s life. So Yuta _was_ referring to the same Donghyuck earlier. How could Jeno not know that Jaemin worked with the boy of Jeno’s dreams? Did he not talk about Donghyuck enough? Had he never mentioned his name? No, Jeno was certain he’d said Donghyuck’s name dozens of times.

“Lee Jeno?” Donghyuck said, breaking into a grin as he and Jungwoo approached. “_Bonjour_!”

“Oh good. You know each other already,” Yuta said. “I guess this means I don’t have to worry about you quitting after meeting Donghyuck.”

“That’s happened _once_, and he technically didn’t quit, he was arrested for armed robbery, which had nothing to do with me,” Donghyuck said, pouting. Then he turned to Jeno. “You’re gonna work here?”

“Yes, he’s your replacement,” Yuta said. Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at him. Jeno thought Yuta said something to himself like, _When will Taeil fire him_.

“Whatever, Yuta, I know you secretly love me. See you in class, Jeno,” Donghyuck said, waving before skipping off, Jungwoo following.

Looking thoroughly like he wished his choices in life had brought him anywhere but here, Yuta sighed, then picked his pen back up. “Do you have a criminal record?”

“No,” Jeno said, unless you counted the occasional blood bag juice box that he consumed.

“Great! Can you start at 5?”

“So. Coworkers, huh?” Donghyuck said when he took his seat next to Jeno in class that afternoon.

Jeno nodded, already feeling his palms start to sweat. He rubbed them against his jeans. “Yeah, Yuta wants me to start tonight.”

Donghyuck snorted at this. “Of course he does. Well, I hope your first shift goes well. Usually closing is pretty calm, at least compared to mornings. Can’t remember who’s scheduled to close tonight, though. Oh! Renjun, I think, he’s cool, you’ll totally like him. And…” Donghyuck gulped. “Oh.”

Well, that certainly didn’t ease Jeno’s nerves. “What?”

“Mark is supposed to close tonight,” Donghyuck said, staring down at his desk.

“Uh, and what’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing!” Donghyuck said quickly. “He’s just, well. He’s a little scary, in my opinion. I’m sure you’ll get along great, though!” he added, when Jeno paled.

Their professor started class then, and after exchanging uneasy smiles, they dropped the subject of work.

“Welcome back, hot stuff!” Yangyang greeted him only four and a half hours later, when Jeno showed up for his first shift. “I heard you got the job. Im-press-ive!”

The cafe was a lot quieter at that time of evening. Aside from the baristas.

“Considering even you got hired, I’m not sure it’s an accomplishment worth posting on Facebook,” said a voice behind the bar.

“Beat it, Renjun, before I kiss you to shut you up.” Yangyang smiled at Jeno again, then nodded his head toward the back door. “Come on in. I’d tell you to just hop the counter, but—”

“No hopping the counter!” another voice, one Jeno was sure he’d yet to hear, called from the back room.

Yangyang gave Jeno a look, like, _See?_

In the back room, there were two more people. One of them was an older boy, probably a handful of years older than Jeno, and he sat at the desk at the far end of the room with a cash drawer. The other was a boy who looked Jeno’s age, with fried black hair and prominent cheekbones, standing behind the older boy while he watched him handle the money.

“Oh, hey,” the younger of the two greeted when Jeno entered. “You’re Jeno? I’m Mark.”

“Hey,” Jeno said, giving Mark a nod. News at Zero Mile must have traveled fast if everyone already knew who he was.

Jeno stood around for another minute while the older boy finished counting the drawer and locked it up. The boy then spun around in the chair and gave Jeno a tired but sincere smile. “Hello, Jeno. My name’s Taeil. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your interview today. I had to make a stupid phone call.”

“It’s cool,” Jeno said. “It’s good to meet you.”

“You as well. Mark is going to be guiding you for your first shift. Usually, Yuta trains new team members, but he’s not available this weekend. Fortunately, Mark is one of our best closers. I take it you’ve counted a cash drawer before?”

Jeno nodded stiffly, remembering what Donghyuck had told him about Mark.

“Great! You can watch Mark tonight just to get a feel for it, and once Yangyang, Jaehyun and I clock out, Mark will start showing you how to use the register.”

“Ew!” someone shrieked from the front of house. “Get that away from me! JAEHYUN!”

Taeil sighed. “I need to start heading home. There’s only so much of them I can take.”

“Go home, Taeil,” Mark said kindly. “I got it from here.”

Taeil smiled and squeezed Mark’s shoulder. “Thanks, Mark.” He went back to the front.

To Jeno’s surprise, Mark wasn’t all that bad. He wasn’t condescending at all while he briefly explained how they counted their drawers, and he made a point to ask Jeno questions about himself. It turned out that Mark was a year older than him, and he studied music theory at Jeno’s university. He smelt good, too, which was a pleasant surprise, since Jeno usually found college boys’ scents to be overwhelming to his senses.

When Jeno and Mark weren’t even halfway through counting the drawer for the closing shift, the door to the front of house flew open. Jaehyun strode in, and Jeno almost had to cough through the cloud of men’s cologne that wafted into the tiny room.

Mark checked his watch, then gave Jaehyun a quizzical look. “Leaving early?”

Jaehyun hastily pulled on his coat. “Review session for my accounting exam on Monday.”

“On a Friday? Sucks.”

“Yeah, but at least Johnny will be there,” Jaehyun said, wiggling his eyebrows while he wrapped his scarf around his neck.

Mark snorted, then glanced up at Jeno. “Jaehyun’s obsessed with one of the guys who delivers our food from the kitchen.”

“I’m not _obsessed_. Besides, you’re one to talk.” Jaehyun reached over and ruffled Mark’s hair laughing when Mark batted his hand away.

“Shut up, asshole,” Mark grumbled, cheeks flaming as he returned to counting their drawer, but this time, he didn’t explain what Jaehyun meant.

Taeil was the next one to leave, soon after Jaehyun. Yangyang stayed behind to give Renjun a hand in cleaning the floor mats and the two disappeared into the back room while Mark showed Jeno how to use the register. Afterward, Mark gave him a quick tour of the area behind the counter, from the bar, to the sink, the grinder, the brewers, the blenders, the food cases, and the TurboChef.

“After I show you how to brew coffee and make tea, how about you try some of the food in the case so you can start getting acquainted with the menu?”

“Sounds great,” Jeno said, still wondering why Donghyuck thought Mark was scary.

“Renjun!” Mark called.

Renjun finally emerged from the back room, and Jeno’s jaw dropped. Jaemin had mentioned that Renjun was small and cute, but nothing could have prepared him for the beautiful, nymph-like boy before him. He had soft, delicate features, inquisitive eyes and pouty lips, and a head of shiny, dark brown hair with a few tufts that curled over his brow bone. He approached where Mark and Jeno stood by the coffee brewers, and Jeno noticed with a tiny gasp that Renjun’s ears were pierced, as the moon-shaped earrings sparkled where they dangled from Renjun’s ears. Jeno desperately wished Renjun weren’t wearing a turtleneck so Jeno could see what he knew would be a beautiful neck. Jeno really hoped he wasn’t salivating.

“What?” Renjun said.

“Jeno’s gonna do some taste testing in a little bit, so I hope you’re hungry.”

Renjun broke into the prettiest, most cosmically gorgeous smile Jeno had ever seen in his life. “I’m _starving_.”

Yeah. So was Jeno.

The few remaining, functioning cells in Jeno’s brain managed to get Jeno through learning how to brew coffee, and he thanked the stars that Mark was too oblivious to realize that Jeno was barely paying attention. Mark then showed Jeno how they made their tea bags, and when that was finally over with, Mark announced that he felt Jeno had earned a snack. “What do you feel like eating?” he asked.

Jeno shrugged. “I’m not picky. What’s good?”

Mark pondered this for a minute. “Hey Renjun,” he said, making Renjun look up from where he was restocking the dessert case, “what’s your favorite thing on the deli menu?”

Oh no. Now Renjun was looking Jeno up and down, and Jeno felt his palms start to sweat again. He wondered if he should avoid eye contact so he wouldn’t seem confrontational, but then chided himself for it, because Renjun wasn’t a _dog_.

Renjun picked the chicken rice burrito, and Mark showed Jeno how to prepare the burritos and use the TurboChef oven. They cut the burrito into thirds, and Jeno had to suppress a whimper when he watched Renjun lick the dripping sauce off his own wrist. He thanked the stars again that Jeno was the only one who could hear the rapid thumping of his heart.

Renjun caught Jeno staring, and gave him a shy smile, which Jeno returned.

He was so, so screwed.


End file.
